From Sheild Maiden to Valkyrie
by SilverSentinal21
Summary: Set after "Gift of A Night Fury" Astrid gets depressed and doesn't know why. Can her friends and their families find a way to help her through the pain of becoming a woman?
1. Chapter 1

**Somehow this always happens to me... I swear I will not write in a new fandom without completing an unfinished story and then... Well, here I am posting my first HtTYD fic. I love historical detail, so I hope to add a bit more accurate Viking-ness where I can, while still retaining the quirk and charm of the story and characters. I also find it rather disturbing that the strong extraordinary women in the Films: Astrid and Valka have no domestic skills whatsoever. How does not knowing how to cook make anyone stronger? Suppose Astrid needed to feed herself, or mend her clothes and nobody was around to help. These are basic skills that every warrior must have male or female.**

 **However, I also wanted to explore Astrid's personal story. We don't get a whole lot from the Films or the TV shows on Astrid's family or her young childhood. I thought that is a good place for me to start. Don't be alarmed, our impulsive, perfectionist who can take down any man or woman who gets in her way isn't going anywhere. A woman has many facets and abilities, that's where their power lies.**

* * *

Astrid Hofferson embodied the Viking ideals of warriors and female beauty. Her hair shone like spun gold in the sunshine, and turned to silver in the moonlight. Her skills at combat matched and exceeded anyone in Berk of her age-group. Despite these gifts, as well as her intelligence, practicality, and pragmatism that made her a nearly flawless Shield Maiden; her dearest friends sensed a haze of melancholy had settled over her since Snoggletog. Each of the four other original dragon riders had a theory about the reason for their comrade's dull spirits, and an aggressive debate broke out in the group after she'd left the academy on her Deadly Nadder named Stormfly, without so much as a farewell, one snowy afternoon.

"Well, _obviously_ she's lovesick for me and pining, because she doesn't think a godlike warrior like myself knows she exists," boasted Snotlout, in his usual bombastic and snide manner.

Hiccup grunted, his face twisting in disgust. "You'd better be glad Stormfly isn't here because she'd do more than pin you to the walls if she heard that," he snorted.

Wanting to substitute for their dragon warrior sister, Hookfang singed his rider's pants while Toothless shot blasts at the arrogant boy's feet. "HOOKFANG! HICCUP, CALL OFF TOOTHLESS! Snotlout screamed as he ran to avoid the Night Fury's shots and find a water trough to sit in.

Hiccup hid the smirk etched on his face. Although his relationship with his cousin remained tempestuous at best, Snotlout never ceased to amuse him with his contrary personality and lack of thinking ability. "Toothless, you've made your point, bud. Leave Snotlout alone. Hookfang will handle him.

"Barf, Belch," Tuffnut barked, turning to face his two-headed dragon. "Why are you guys sitting there? Go after Snotlout!"

Ruffnut shook her fist taunted them. "Yeah. Do you really want Hookfang and Toothless to do all the work defending Astrid's honor?"

The Hideous Zippleback immediately plucked the whimpering Viking boy out of the trough and toss him back and forth between their mouths. "AHHHHHHH! Hiccup, HELP ME!" Snotlout begged.

"Ruff, Tuff, tell Barf and Belch to let him go," Hiccup commanded.

Reluctantly, the twins used their hand-signals to make their dragon release their new toy. "You know, H, you are no fun at all!" Tuffnut growled.

"Yeah!" Ruffnut snarled, glaring at her future Chief. "Someone has to keep Snotlout in his place while Astrid is in her funk. If we don't, she might lose her reputation."

Hiccup bowed his head to acknowledge her point. "While that is a very noble motive, Ruffnut, I think it's best if we actually helped her with whatever is bothering her. Since we already know she's not lovesick for Snotlout, we'll put that aside. Now, has she said anything to anyone that may give us a clue?"

"I think it's because she hasn't had a good fight in ages," Tuffnut shrugged.

Ruffnut nodded in agreement. "We haven't rescued any dragons, fought Dagger or Alvin, or chased away any wild dragons since the first snow. We can't even fly far because of winter. It's enough to drive anyone into the blues."

Hiccup sat on one of the stone benches outside Toothless' stall. His loyal friend immediately put himself under "his feet" to keep him warm. Even his prostatic leg benefitted from the sweet Night Fury's devotion. "That's probably a part of the problem," Hiccup agreed. "We all know Astrid is completely devoted to defending and protecting Berk and our Dragons, but something doesn't add up. Usually, when Astrid feels cooped up and antsy for action she trains harder. I haven't seen her destroying all our targets, and she hasn't brought her weapons or armor to the forge to the sharpened or repaired."

"I don't think she's got cabin fever like last time we were grounded," Fishlegs softly objected. "She may still feel guilty about putting Meatlug's eggs in people's houses because they exploded. Also, her Yacknog didn't work out, and she probably feels bad about that too."

"Yeah," Tuffnut agreed. "That stuff was nastier than Mildew's butt!" he shivered.

A look of confusion and concern filled Hiccup's face. "I talked to her about that, she laughed it off. I don't know, I mean, with the damage we've all done accidently, or not—" he added, glancing at the twins. "She couldn't be so disheartened by an innocent mistake. Astrid is too strong for that."

Fishlegs shook his head and sighed. "You know her best, Hiccup. I just have a feeling that it might not be what we normally would expect of her."

Hiccup sighed. The snow started falling harder, and great black clouds began blowing in with a fierce wind. "Alright, everyone, we should all head home now. It looks like we're in for another serious blizzard. I have to see if I can help my dad. If we and our dragons are needed, I'll send the signal. Please, don't do anything crazy. Just go straight home," he ordered, as he took off on Toothless.

The dragon riders each began trudging through the snow to mount their dragons when Snotlout shouted. "I still think the best way for Astrid to get out of her blahs is sharing some fierce body heat with me!"

Before any of the humans could say a single word about his unpardonable crudeness, Meatlug sat at his feet and covered them with her dragon dung. "FISHLEGS! WHEN THIS STORM IS OVER I WILL KILL YOU AND HAVE HOOKFANG ROAST YOUR ROCK EATER FOR MY DINNER!"

The soft-spoken giant mounted Meatlug and sighed. "You just don't get it, Snotlout. All of our dragons consider us their family, but they accept Toothless and Hiccup as the leaders. They know Astrid and Hiccup are closest, and they won't take kindly to you interfering. You mess up the dynamics of what they view as their clan."

Tuffnut, and Ruffnut nodded in agreement. "He's right! You wouldn't like it if some jerk started saying things like that about your mom or older sister, so SHUT UP!" Ruffnut shouted.

"You know, sooner or later, Hiccup and Toothless might have to challenge you if you keep it up, Snotlout. The only reason he doesn't say anything now is because seeing Astrid take you down makes him laugh. One day he'll be Chief. He won't have a choice if you don't knock it off," Tuffnut warned.

Blood rose to Snotlout's face turning it as red as Hookfang's skin. "HA!" he scoffed. "Hiccup doesn't stand a chance with me, even with Toothless! Remember, I still won this year's games!"

Nobody bothered to reply they all just took off for their homes…


	2. The Mission, and the Dragons' Concern

**AN: So here is chapter 2, I had thought that I'd get further along, but you have to let things flow on their own way. I view the dragons as part Dolphin, part individual animal unique to each dragon:**

 **Toothless, is like a big dolphin/kitten.**

 **Stormfly is like a dolphin/peacock.**

 **Hookfang is like a dolphin/Grizzly.**

 **Barf and Belch are like a dolphin/lama/push-me-pull-you.**

 **Meatlug is like a dolphin/pot-bellied pig.**

 **I've made it so they can communicate on three levels. 1. The normal gestures and sounds we see and hear. 2. Sounds too high for humans to hear, and sounds too low for humans to hear. 3. Empathic communication. As the story continues, I'll develop the third in more detail. Okay, on with the show, and thanks for the support.**

* * *

Astrid allowed Stormfly to rush back to her babies as fast as she wanted. She didn't know how she had ever lived without Stormfly in her life. How had she ever viewed Hiccup as someone who couldn't protect his people, and understand how to be a true Viking? Without Stormfly, how much innocent blood would fill hands? Without Hiccup, would she have become? Her heart raced with terror at the possibilities. She loved him with her whole heart. Their relationship, while still relatively undefined and awkward on both their parts, but she knew without a doubt that he cared as deeply for her, as she did him. The squawking of Stormfly's new hatchlings as she fed them stunned Astrid from her thoughts. Watching the tenderness and care Stormfly used with her young, amazed Astrid. Stormfly's mate hunted every day at dawn and sunset for materials for the nest and extra food. The magnificent Nadder accepted her presence and showed her respect, but although tamed, he'd rejected bonding with a specific rider. She named him Eindride, after she discovered he'd mated with Stormfly. Hiccup convinced him to help train beginning riders who wanted to be bonded with Nadders in the future. At first, Stormfly's choice of a mate surprised her, because Eindride behaved very differently than most Nadder's. He kept to himself or stayed with Stormfly and their hatchlings. He didn't have a playful demeanor, nor did he have a need to compete with other dragons. He appeared to be incompatible with her fun-loving, vain, and competitive Stormfly. Then Astrid saw how they worked together for the little family and it began to make sense.

They balanced each other perfectly. Where one faced weakness, the other added their strength. During the times Astrid and Stormfly had to train or defend Berk, Einride took over the nest. He continued teaching the hatchlings how to behave around people, while honing their natural abilities to take care of themselves. Occasionally, when Astrid and Stormfly trained them, the babies would act out. Einride immediately put a stop to their antics so the lesson could continue. As she watched the parents wrangle their young into the nest, she felt an overwhelming ache, as if one of Stormfly's spikes had been shot straight through her heart. She knew her uncle and friends felt worried for her; but how could she talk to them about it when she didn't understand the cause of her agony?

Realizing that sitting up all night thinking wouldn't help, she crept quietly into her small bedroom. She quickly doffed her armor, changed her woolen leggings, and donned her warmest woolen tunic. The cold felt as sharp as her beloved axe as she unbound her hair and took out the one thing she remembered her mother had used every day. The smooth oak handle of the boar-bristle brush fit as comfortably in her hand as her beloved two-headed axe. The bristles attacked the tangles without breaking the fragile strands. "One and two, I love you. Three and four, Papa thinks he loves us more…"

The tune slipped from her mouth unconsciously. Hazy images filled her mind of her mother's hands, brushing her golden childhood curls. Her mother would sing the tune all the way up to one thousand, and then both her parents would tuck her into bed. Throughout her life, Astrid followed the ritual no matter where she was on her adventures with Hiccup and the other Dragon riders. Once she finished the final stroke, she tied the silky, glossy tresses up into a bun, and climbed into her bed, burrowing under the soft furs. As the sounds of a happy, safe Nadder family drifted into her room, a single, scorching tear trickled down her cheek. "I can't even remember my parents' faces," she whispered. As she lay in the silent, icy dark she searched for her memories of her parents until sleep overtook her.

Outside Stormfly and Eindride purred over their peaceful hatchlings. _'I can't ever remember being so happy!'_ Stormfly twittered, being careful not to wake her human sister.

' _Indeed, with the Queen's death we can finally live as we were meant to live. We owe the Chieftain's hatchling and our human sister a great deal,'_ Eindride answered, wrapping his wings around his mate.

' _I'm so worried for her. I can't understand where her pain comes from,'_ Stormfly softly warbled as she spread her tail to envelop their nest. _'Ever since our migration to warmer climes to hatch our eggs, a darkness has fallen over her. When we fly, she feels heavy. When we train she has less spirit. When she plays with our offspring, I can feel her heart breaking! I don't understand why! She loves the, 'babies' as she calls them. Nothing makes sense right now. She even avoids her mate! Worse still, she won't let me in.'_

Eindride nuzzled her tenderly, blowing warm breath into her nostrils to sooth her. _'I too have noticed her low spirits. Could she perhaps be mourning? Perhaps she and her mate conceived their own hatching and it died before it grew strong?'_

The absurdity of her mate's theory caused her to shudder with amusement. _'Ah, these humans with their words and rituals. They need to do so many things to mate their young. My bonded one has no mated smell.'_

Eindride grunted. Then in the stillness of the icy night he heard the choked and broken voice of their human sister in mourning. _'She is grieving for something. We just have to discover who or what it may be.'_

* * *

The next morning, eight new feet of snow greeted the frozen citizens of Berk. In the past, such snow meant that the entire village would join in and plow a path through the village to the great hall. Now, thanks to Hiccup's ingenuity and the strength of dragons, paths could appear from the most distant farms, and the paths of the village could be cleared in as little as an hour. Hiccup also devised a way to use the heaps of fresh snow and massive amounts of fresh ice to replenish the village's drinking water and store it for later in the year. Fishlegs organized the plowing with Berk's heard of Gronkles, led by his beloved Meatlug. Snotlout and Hookfang oversaw a pack of Monstrous Nightmares in melting snow and ice and storing freshwater. The twins, organized the Zipplebacks to keep the bonfires going in strategic places all over Berk, in case, someone had to be outside for any length of time, or someone got lost. Hiccup and Astrid led the Nadder's on search and rescue missions. Avalanches high in the hills came often, and the snowdrifts in and around the village could accumulate to fifty feet or more a season. With the Nadder's acute sense of smell, speed, and protective instincts, along with Toothless' echolocation, Astrid and Hiccup made an incredible search and rescue team. All these new improvements and initiatives in Berk resulted in a drastic reduction of winter deaths not due to age or sickness. For the first time in nearly three generations Berk's mortality rate had a chance of stabilizing.

Stoick the Vast strolled out of his great long house just as Hiccup and Toothless finished clearing the paths to the road to the village and the paths to the farm. "Good Morning, son!" his cheerful voice boomed. "How are you and our hardworking Night Fury this morning?"

Hiccup smiled. He loved seeing his father happy and cheerful, something that didn't happen often. "We're good, dad. Fishlegs and the Gronkles have cleared just about all the roads and paths to the village. Snoutlout said that he would take Hookfang and the pack over to Bashem and melt the ice blocks there. The twins have most of the bonfires burning, and amazingly are being quite serious about the job. I'm just heading out to meet up with Astrid to go out on our first rescue section this morning. Oh, and before I forget, Ivor needs to talk to you about a sick yak."

A frown passed over the large Chief's face for a moment, then he smiled once more. "Son, I just want you to know how amazed I am at all you've accomplished so quickly. For the first time in generations, the battle of surviving the winter has become a fair fight. You have a lot to take pride in."

Hiccup basked in his father's praise as if enveloped by the warmth of the sun. "Thanks, dad," he answered with a blush.

"Now then, I'll go find Ivor. Hopefully, the yak doesn't have anything more than a bad cold. Try to be home before supper, lad, and we'll talk about that idea you had for the plowing this coming spring," Stoick ordered, giving his son a pat on the back.

"I'll do my best, dad!" Hiccup called back, as he mounted Toothless once more and took off into the sky.

* * *

Toothless felt his bonded one's joy and immediately began flying in the way he knew made his human brother happiest. Speeding through barrel rolls, and every other maneuver they practiced, he relished the tingle in his ears caused by his rider's laughter. They took the scenic route to Astrid's longhouse atop one of the highest cliffs of Berk. As they landed, Toothless greeted Eindride and the excitable hatchlings riding on their father's back. _'A good day for a hunt,'_ Toothless remarked.

' _Indeed it is. I'm taking the young ones into the woods for tracking lessons. After their mother and our human sister return, I intend to hunt a very dangerous wild boar from up in the cliffs. He's run out of food in his territory and is making his way to the farmland to the west,'_ Eindride replied, nudging his eldest to sit properly.

Toothless growled in concern. _'Any danger to the humans means a danger to my family. With your permission I would like to hunt with you. You can cover from the air while I cover the ground.'_

Einride bowed his head to the younger Night Fury. _'I am honored you would offer to help me.'_

Toothless sat shuffled his front legs. _'I will meet you just after the moon fully rises.'_

' _Agreed,'_ Eindride affirmed.

* * *

Hiccup jumped off Toothless still radiating with joy. "Good morning, Eindride! I hope the kids are behaving," he laughed, patting the giant Nadder on the side. "Come on, you three, say hi to your uncle Hiccup!" he playfully commanded, turning his attention to the brood. They assaulted the young dragon rider with playful licks and nips, their teeth still hadn't completely broken though yet. "Thank you, for being so happy to see me!" Hiccup laughed. "You know, we can't keep calling you just 'the babies' forever. I'll talk to Astrid about it today. Speaking of which, where is your mama and her golden-haired rider?"

"We're here!" Astrid called out as she stumbled out of her door. Fortunately, Stormfly kept her from falling. "I'm sorry, I overslept."

Hiccup immediately tuned away from the hatchlings to look at the girl he-not-so-secretly loved with all his heart. " _You_ overslept!" He laid his gentle hand on her forehead to check for fever. "Are you sick?"

"What? No." Astrid exclaimed, gently shoving him away. "I just had a hard time sleeping. Let's go now."

Hiccup wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into a hug. "Good morning, Milady," he whispered in her ear.

Despite the confusion and sadness she felt herself drowning in, Astrid smiled up at the boy she so cherished. "Good morning, Dragon Boy."

A small groan erupts from Hiccup's throat. "Isn't that name ever going to get old? I mean, are you going to still call me that when you're grey and I'm bald?"

Astrid tensed, startled at Hiccup's bold inference about their future. Then she chuckled. "I can't imagine you bald, Hiccup, you have so much fluffy hair!" she sassed as she pushed his heavy woolen hood off and messing up the shaggy locks.

"HEY! Stop it," Hiccup cried out. He pulled back and quickly grabbed her by the wrists, holding them behind her back. Before Astrid could retaliate, he released her wrists and cupped her face with his hands. In the weak winter sunlight he carefully examined her face. His eyes narrowed in concern as he saw her crystal ice-blue eyes lacked their usual luster, sitting in puddles of raw red instead of bright white. Her fair skin that usually glowed with health like Johan's pearls appeared chalky, and dark, inky rings sat etched under her eyes. "Are you sure you're feeling well enough for rescue patrol today, Astrid?" he asked, gently running a calloused thumb across her high cheekbone.

Ordinarily, anyone questioning her about her abilities to do her duties would mean the questioner's face sustaining repeated impact from her fists. However, Hiccup's tenderness and caring broke through Astrid's thick walls of fierce pride around her fragile heart. She reached up to his hands, taking them away from her face and squeezing them with her own. "I promise, I'll be fine. If you don't believe me ask Stormfly," she answered. A hint of a challenging smirk, twitching at the corners of her lips.

"I will," Hiccup agreed, releasing her and turning to Stormfly. "Well, lovely girl, what do you think? Is our Astrid up to flying out to the mountains today?" He first reached up to place his palm on her snout, then pressed his forehead below the base of her crown of spikes." The dry warmth of her scales felt soothing against his cold skin. He blocked out everything around him and focused solely on the energy Stormfly radiated. He felt a faint undercurrent of tension, but no indications of danger. After a minute he raised his head and scratched the sensitive spot under her left jaw. "Thank you, sweetheart. You know I just want to keep her safe like you do. Toothless and I don't want to go without either of you." He turned back to Astrid with a faint smile. "She is worried about something, but she knows that if she's with you, everything will be fine."

Astrid stared at Hiccup awe filling her eyes. "I'll never understand how you're able to communicate with dragons the way you do, but I hope one day I'll at least be able to do that with Stormfly and her family," she gasped.

Hiccup shrugged and pulled up his hood once more. "I've never actually thought about explaining it, but I'll try during lunch. Let's get going, and I can tell you about my very eventful morning."

While the actual village of Berk remained smaller than most Viking settlements, both in the Archipelago, and on the mainland. The island itself held vast areas of open space, forests, and mountains. Now, the two greatest dragons and greatest dragon riders sped to the northwest cliffs, where a hunting party's camp had been reported abandoned. Hiccup gave over total control of the flight to Toothless, only working the gears of his prosthetic tailfin when needed. He kept glancing at Astrid who stared straight ahead, seemingly focused on the job, but he could tell Stormfly controlled the fight. Astrid's mind remained elsewhere. Worry clenched in Hiccup's gut, and Toothless yowled at feeling the tension in his rider. The noise got Astrid's attention. "Did he find something? We won't be at our route for another ten minutes."

Hiccup shook his head with an embarrassed smirk. "No, I tensed up, and he hates that."

Astrid guided Stormfly closer to Toothless' side. "Are you cold, did the metal freeze on your leg? Are you in pain?" she interrogated barely pausing for a breath between questions.

"Whoa! Breath, Astrid, I'm fine," Hiccup laughed. He winked at the death glare she gave him and sighed. "I think we're all a bit cold. This winter has been harsher earlier. Don't worry, my leg and Toothless' tailfin are fine. I've still got some phantom pain at the end of the day, but right now I'm good. If I get any I'll let you know, and we can stop by a bonfire, or the mead hall if we have to."

"Sorry, I really don't understand why I've been so unfocused and jumpy lately," Astrid sighed. "I have noticed that you're all concerned, and thankfully it hasn't affected my work yet. I just can't figure out what's wrong, and until I have some idea I really don't want to try and talk about it."

Hiccup offered her a kind smile. "I won't force you to try to talk. I just want you to know that we're all here for you, and when you're ready, if you want to talk to me, you can tell me anything at all. Nothing could ever, make me think of you as anything less than amazing."

"Thank you, Hiccup," Astrid whispered.

* * *

While their humans' rode quietly, mentally preparing themselves for the task at hand, Stormfly and Toothless both focused on the smells and sounds around them, while having their own conversation that human ears could not hear…

' _My brother's mate is grieving,'_ Toothless bluntly informed his dragon sister. _'Don't feel bad about not sensing it clearly. You know, now that you're a mother to a clutch, your senses will be focused on them. It's not a bad thing.'_

' _WHAT! Stormfly shrieked so high above a human's hearing abilities that Toothless cringed. 'Now, you sound like my mate! The next thing you tell me is that she had a hatchling that died. She's NOT properly mated yet!'_ Stormfly raged, thankful that her human sister and her (almost) mate, couldn't tell.

' _I didn't say they were properly mated or that our human sister carried a hatchling!'_ Toothless growled so softly the riders could not hear. _'However, if your mate says our human sister is grieving, he is right. His guess about the cause is wrong, but she is definitely grieving.'_

Stormfly felt her heart speed up at her dragon brother's tone. When he used his low voice, it meant his anger had sparked. No dragon, sister or not, wanted to make a Night Fury angry. _'Forgive me. I've been so worried about her that my emotions have overrun my reason and my senses.'_

Toothless winked at her to let her know he accepted her apology. _'As I said, you're a new mother, it happens to all. I think we should talk to our older dragon sister. She, and her younger human brother are far more perceptive than any others I can think of about these things.'_

Stormfly smiled. _'True. For a Gronkle, our sister is surprisingly perceptive when it comes to the emotions of the humans as a whole.'_

' _Agreed, now we must work,'_ Toothless answered, ending the conversation. Helping his boy's mate would happen later. Right now they had to focus on saving foolish humans from themselves, **again**!


End file.
